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I always thought Tomlin had the pull due to his statement that Worilds was his pick. Does he only put his foot down for certain guys? Does he have final say on every pick?

I would not think that Tomlin has the power to "put his foot down". Could he have championed the Worilds pick? Sure. Did he have the authority to say "I don't care what you guys say, we are picking Worilds"? I doubt it very much. He has a voice, but it is far from the loudest in the room, and I would think that he is far from being able to put his foot down.

Consider the first round in 2004. Cowher was already an icon in Pittsburgh, was the de facto GM without the title (after ousting Donahoe), yet, as the story goes, he was not able to "put his foot down" in order to draft Stacey Andrews. Instead, A man named Rooney reached over his head and drafted Ben. If Cowher did not have that ability in 2004, I can't see Tomlin having it in 2009, nor Marrone having it in 2013.

I would not think that Tomlin has the power to "put his foot down". Could he have championed the Worilds pick? Sure. Did he have the authority to say "I don't care what you guys say, we are picking Worilds"? I doubt it very much. He has a voice, but it is far from the loudest in the room, and I would think that he is far from being able to put his foot down.

Consider the first round in 2004. Cowher was already an icon in Pittsburgh, was the de facto GM without the title (after ousting Donahoe), yet, as the story goes, he was not able to "put his foot down" in order to draft Stacey Andrews. Instead, A man named Rooney reached over his head and drafted Ben. If Cowher did not have that ability in 2004, I can't see Tomlin having it in 2009, nor Marrone having it in 2013.

I don't see the parallel. The entire war room, Colbert included, was sold on Andrews. The owner can always chime in and put his foot down. That doesn't take away the authority of the coach or GM. I highly doubt Rooney stepped in on the Worilds pick. He doesn't do this very often.

It depends on who you ask around here. If draft picks flop, it's Colbert who made the pick because Tomlin doesn't have say in personnel decisions. If a pick is successful, Tomlin is a draft guru and it was "his guy".

Who are you a quoting? there are many posters like you and Mister Pittsburgh who blame Tomlin for everything that goes wrong, even if it doesn't. That is a ridiculous blanket comment.

Who are you a quoting? there are many posters like you and Mister Pittsburgh who blame Tomlin for everything that goes wrong, even if it doesn't. That is a ridiculous blanket comment.

I just prefer to make people accountable regardless of who they are... Specifically, I'm referring to Ben, Tomlin, Colbert and Lebeau. As far as Tomlin goes, he's the HC so that warrants praise as well as the blame. Tomlin signed up for that when he became a head coach.

People want to blame Lebeau for his "obsolete system" and for not giving rookies and such more playing time. Some of that might be true. Guess who has the power to overrule Lebeau? Mike Tomlin. If Tomlin wants a rookie to play, he has the power to ensure a rookie gets playing time. Noooo, there can't be any fault in Tomlin. It's all Lebeau's fault.

The rookie safety got burned on a play-action pass from Bruce Gradkowski to Plaxico Burress. It was a learning moment for Thomas.

Two undeniable facts: rookies tend to be more anxious than veterans, and experience is a big advantage in the NFL. Steelers rookie safety Shamarko Thomas got a dose of both of those facts Wednesday, after he bit on a play fake from Steelers quarterback Bruce Gradkowski.

The mistake allowed wide receiver Plaxico Burress to slip behind the defense and score a 55-yard touchdown - or as Tribune-Review reporter Mark Kaboly wrote, "...allowed the methodical Burress to get behind the defense for an easy touchdown."

It's likely a veteran receiver doesn't want the adjective "methodical" used to describe him, due to the notion it's a more positive spin on the word "slow." Credit to Kaboly, it's just a great line.

What it means more than anything is Thomas had his Rookie Moment, and one he likely won't forget. The Steelers' defense prides itself in not giving up the big play, and that's because they typically have a deep safety who doesn't find himself out of position often.

Ryan Clark has been that deep safety for five years now, and the Steelers have allowed fewer passing plays of 20 yards or more over the league in that time.

It also subtly shows why physical attributes can often lose out to savvy play; the big knock on Thomas entering the NFL was his lack of prototypical height. For Burress, entering this season, it's his "methodical" speed.

One doesn't need speed to catch a pass when he's wide open, and height won't help one recover after biting hard on a play fake.